10.2 miles, 28,583 steps, 9 cats 

Since today was planned to be a shorter day (although not as short as I thought), I actually slept in a little and didn’t start walking until 11:00. I was virtually alone all day as “normal” pilgrims left in the morning.  It was pretty hot, too. Don’t calculate that.

I should have read about this stage in advance — it was mainly on forest trails and over a literal mountain. After leaving Caminha, there were no services, cafes, etc all day. Just uphill climbing, keeping that heart rate up (yay cardio fitness). 

As always, lots of little chapels everywhere. You’ll just be strolling through a neighborhood of houses and suddenly pass a chapel just wedged in. 

Got to the town of Vila Nova de Cerveira around 4:00 and my hotel doesn’t allow check-in until 6:00 (weird). Had a snack (the classic sandwich, beer + ice cream bar) to wait. 

Hotel is really a hostel — but with all private rooms. Super bare bare bones. But seems clean and safe so all good. 

Tomorrow is the last day of part 1…I’ll walk across the Minho River into Spain, to my splurge hotel, the Tui Parador, and spend a REST DAY. Hoping for a massage and a chance to do laundry. Woooooo

For dinner, I was trying to find a tapas place I read about but hit a literal dead end (thanks google maps?) but at the dead end was the amazing Re-cordis Caffe. Proud that I was able to order and pretty much stick to speaking Portuguese in this place that seemed to be all locals, no pilgrims. Their specialty is hambugueras, and mine was so good. Plus the waiter-recommended starter of mini Camembert cheese, breaded and fried (of course) with pumpkin jelly that the waiter said his mom made. The music playlist was an interesting mix of Prince, R&B and yacht rock, including one of my favorite songs of all time, Right Down the Line by Gerry Rafferty. 

Tomorrow is supposed to rain in the morning (boo) plus I have my first blister (really boo). Good luck to me!

(Pics of dinner plus a weird crochet cow — the town square is full of these giant crochet art pieces, something the town does every summer.)